On October 9th, Governor Brown signed SB 930 (Evans) into law, repealing three controversial requirements enacted as part of former Governor Schwarzenegger's IHSS anti-fraud measures in 2009. The first provision would have required all IHSS consumers to submit fingerprints to the county at the time of their assessment/reassessment, for identification purposes. After many delays, this provision of the anti-fraud measures was not enacted, and it was estimated that doing so would have cost the state over $40 million.  

SB 930 also repeals legislation that would have required both consumers and providers to place an index fingerprint on each IHSS timesheet (also never implemented), and prohibited IHSS providers from receiving paychecks at a PO box address. Since the enactment of these measures, advocates and certain state legislators have claimed that there is no evidence indicating that either of the measures would have actually prevented instances of fraud.

For information on other bills passed that could impact the IHSS community, please visit our website at www.pascla.org.

Sandy Varga, a member of the PASC Governing Board and recently elected Board Chair, unexpectedly passed away on Friday, September 23rd.

Born in New York, Sandy moved to the Los Angeles area in 1984 and began a finance career in the entertainment industry. In 2002, she was diagnosed with cancer and two years later became hemiplegic due to a medication error. She eventually went into remission and was declared cancer free, but spent the rest of her life living with a disability.

Sandy viewed her new life as a blessing and followed her second calling as an advocate for the disability community. In 2008, she was appointed to serve on the PASC Governing Board. She was also appointed to serve on the Access Paratransit Services Board of Directors, and served as the Southern Region Vice President of the California In-Home Supportive Services Consumer Alliance (CICA). Sandy volunteered her time by representing IHSS consumers on the statewide IHSS Coalition and was later appointed Coalition Chair. She also made countless trips to Sacramento to testify at public hearings, visit with legislators, and participate in various rallies related to disability issues.

Sandy's efforts as an advocate for the IHSS and disability communities were recognized in 2008, when she was the recipient of an L.A. County Access Award. Her dedication to empowering people with disabilities and her presence among the IHSS community will be missed.

Sandy is survived by two children and four grandchildren.

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